Instagram continues to push ahead with new Stories features and tools. Earlier this week, reports circulated that Instagram’s working on a new ‘Nametag’ scannable codes to connect users to profiles, while the platform also officially released its ‘Focus’ mode for selfies.
Now, WABetaInfo reports that Instagram is also developing a new Q and A sticker option for Stories, which would enable users to pose a question within the Stories flow, but the response to that query would be private.
As you can see here, the Q and A sticker would be another option in your Stories tools, and differs from the existing Poll stickers, in that the responses wouldn’t necessarily have to be multiple choice, while the results, as noted, would be sent privately.
The option could be great for brands seeking feedback on new products, or ways they can improve their service – for example, you could pose a question related to a new product release and give users the chance to provide honest feedback, without fear of having their question exposed for all to see. This could also help for simple queries or questions that users don’t feel comfortable posting in a public forum.
As noted, it’s yet another Instagram Stories tool, adding to the functionality of the option, which is already being used by more than 300 million people every day. And as Instagram adds more to Stories, it further distances itself from Snapchat, the originator of the format – worth noting too that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg sees the Stories format as the future of social sharing, eventually superseding the News Feed, which might explain why Facebook has been so keen to push Facebook Stories in addition to the same on Insta.
Given the emphasis, it makes sense for brands to start looking to incorporate Stories into their strategies, and new tools like the Q and A sticker provide more options, more ways to connect.
The Q and A sticker is in the back-end code of the coming version of Instagram, which means it may not ever be released, or it may look much different if, and when, it does become public.